Electric switch.



B THOMAS. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

p-PPL(CATION FILED FEB. 15, 1916.

1 27g, 1 Q7 Patented J uly 9, 1918 nuewto c QEOR E .5. THaMfis 351 Q4. Claw-4 5 ills HEB starts rarest enrich.

GEORGE E. moi/Les, or BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR To THE PERKINS ELECTRXC swi'rcn MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT,

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

1. '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon B. THOMAS, a citizen of the Uiuited States of America, and residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairficld and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and Improved Electric Switch, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and particularly to an electric switch adapt ed to be mounted directly upon the bus bars of a panel. board, the object of my invei'iticn being to provide a switch of econ0m;cal and appropriate construction for this purpose.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l. is a perspective of panel board. bus bars and associated therewith. a switch embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

3 is a vertical section at right angles to Fig. 2;

51g. is ahorlzontal section on the line l i, .Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 a perspective of a. letail. With the increasing use of panel boards in residences of the larger sort and in oilice buildings there has arisen a demand for a snap switch mechanism of relatively low capacity for controlling the branch circuits led from the panel board. The object of my invention is to adapt a standard switcl "iism construction to such use and pro- Ines-.1. vide suitable housing to melosc and insulate the suit-"h mechanism.

The switch a; *ehanism proper, illustrated in the aocompanj p drawing, is of common. construction and or the general type illustrated in my Patent 1,916,899 in which the operating mechanism 10, switch blades 11, and switch terminals 12 are mounted upon a suitable insulatiiug base 13 which is adapt ed to be i ed in a cup-like receptacle having combined wire terminals and straps adapted to cooperate with the switch terminals 12 when i switch body 18 is in sorted in the cup hoped receptacle. Inasmuch the bus 5 .3 take the place of the wires on the panel board as the conductors, it is obviously impossible to use a, receptacle such as that denominated A in the potent above referred to.

bars to the switch terminals accord- The current is led from' ing to the prcsent'invention by means of standards 14: secured by screws 15 to the several terminals on the one hand, and provided with oil'set bases 14*which are secured by screws 16 to the several bus bars 17. In this way the switch mechanism is not only mechanically supported upon the panel board but its switch terminals are electrically connected to the appropriate bars.

Inasmuch as a suitable housing must be provided to inclose the switch against acci dental contact as well as against dirt and moisture, I provide a cover 18 ofiusulatingz; material in the form of an inverted cup through holes 19 in the base of which pass the push buttons 20 for operating the switch mechanism. The sides of the cover completely inclose the switch mechanism and contacts and. is notched away at ll 10 four corners at 21 to permit the entry of the bus bars into the closed switch chamber formed by the cover. Set into the u pper face of the insulating base 13 'is a strap 22 the tapped holes 23 in which receive the securing screws 2% by which the switch frame is mounted thereon. At the opposite ends of the strap is a second pair of tapped. holes 26 which receive the screws 27 passing through countersunk holes in the cover and securing the latter to the strap and thus to the switch mechanism which is firmly held by the four screws 16 upon the panel board.

The present construction affords an ellicient switch mechanism of standard con struction and readily adapted from the ordinary flush switch type to the panel board type disclosed by the use of the standards 14 secured to the terminal straps 12. Various modifications and adaptations of my invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing from what I claim as my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A panel board switch comprising a remotable-mechanism flush switch insulating base with the usual switch mechanism and combined. switch terminals and brush contacts mounted thereon, in combination with independent standards secured to the bi: sh portions of said contacts, means for securing said standardsdirectly to the bus bars of a panel board to electrically connect the latter to said switch terminals, an insulating hood inclosing said base and electrical connections and switch-operating means projecting through said hood.

2. A panel board switch comprising a re movable-mechanism flush switch insulating base with the usual switch mechanism and combined switch terminals and brush contacts mounted thereon, in combination with independent standards secured to the brush portions of said contacts, screw means for detachably securing said standards directly to the bus bars of a panel board to electrically connect the latter to said switch terminals, an insulating hood inc'losing said base and electrical connections and .switch- 15 operating means projecting through said hood.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE B. THOMAS,

WVitnesses:

G. W. Goonnlocn, H. M. lV cHERr. 

